Houses
by belette-de-la-mer
Summary: Amélie is not happy with her house, and thus throws herself into of pit of loneliness, refusing to interact with anyone within her house.


"Slytherin."

I vaguely remembered my very first day of Hogwarts; but I did remember all the eagerness being sucked out of me once I was sorted into my house. The hat had barely touch my hair before it cried that dreadful house. The looks on the other houses faces twisted in disgust, or pity. The stillness of my new kinsmen.

My parents had been proud, so I kept my discontent to myself. They had been in Slytherin themselves, so of course they would want me to be in it as well. We were a pureblood family after all.

I was entering my fifth year now, and was dreading it as I packed everything I needed into my trunk.

Clothes? Check.

Toiletries? Check.

School books? Check.

Parchment, quills, ink? Check, check, check.

I looked around my room, making sure I hadn't forgotten anything I forgot to put on the list. Once I was satisfied I closed the truck and dragged it off the bed.

A knock at the door sent my owl, Pepper, into screeching fits.

"Come in." I called, quickly smoothing down my hair, and straightening my clothes. The butler walked in, and I had long stopped trying to remember the names of all the butlers we've had. We got a new one every month, not allowing one to stay too long.

"Your mother has requested you join them downstairs for dinner, and that you look presentable." He said, bowing his head, then leaving.

With a sigh, I changed my clothes, opting for a plain black dress that flared out with tulle at my waist and came down just below my knees. I tried to tame the fiery red mess on my head, brushing out a few tangles before giving up and pulling it into a low bun.

Slipping on a pair of low heels, I then headed to the downstairs dining room. My mother, Cecilie, was already in her seat with a permanent look of distress on her aging face.

"Amélie." She greeted, motioning to the seat across from her. I sat in it without a word, and we both waited for my father in silence.

He was always late, but never no later than twenty minutes. This gave me time to admire my mother, who was nearly an exact image of myself. Her forehead was creased with worry lines, and flecks of grey speckled her red hair. While the rest of her body seemed to be in varying stages of aging, her blue eyes still twinkled with the last shred of her youth.

The air around us became heavy as my father, Adrien, walked into the dining room. He wore a broad smile that could easily fool anyone into thinking he was a kind man. I knew otherwise, feeling my breath catch in my throat as he sat down.

"We went on another raid today, " he began enthusiastically, "we managed to kill several muggles, _and_ a mudblood." He continued bragging as the maids brought out our dinner, which I picked at nauseously.

"Are you excited about returning to school, Amélie?" My mother asked tenderly.

"Oh, yes." I lied. "I miss my friends, it'll be wonderful to see them again." I lied, again.

"Some friends they are if they don't write to you over the break." Father huffed, stabbing a fork into his steak.

"I'm sure they're just busy." I muttered, looking down at my barely touched plate. Knowing this just wasn't true, because I didn't have any friends. I had spent my previous years at Hogwarts in complete solitude. "Can I be excused?"

"Yes you may." Mother responded without looking up, but a hint of knowing in her voice.

I had barely gotten any sleep that night. Nervousness made me nauseous, and I spent most of the night in the bathroom vomiting.

Getting ready was a slow process, showering, throwing on a black long-sleeved dress over a white blouse, tights, then buckled low heels. Not wanting to deal with my untameable tight curly hair I pulled the mass into a tight bun.

I went alone to the station, and boarded the train alone. Luckily enough for me, most of the compartments were still empty and I could have one to myself for the train ride.

Sitting, I leaned against the window and watched as other students said goodbye to their families. My parents only saw me off for my first year, saying I could handle myself after that. I envied the other families, only a little bit though.

It wasn't long before everyone had boarded, and the train left the station. I could hear feet scrambling down the hallways as people tried to find somewhere to sit. Only a few minutes passed before my compartment door opened, revealing a slightly disheveled Severus Snape. Anyone could guess what happened to him.

"There's no where else to sit." He stated, closing the compartment door behind him and sitting across from me.

"That's fine." I responded, turning to gaze out the window. Severus was the closest thing I had to a friend. We didn't talk much, but we hate each other's company either. We had more of a mutual understanding than a friendship, both being outcasts.

I glanced over at him, taking in his current appearance. His school uniform was wrinkled, his shirt untucked, probably from whatever horror the _Marauders_ put him through. He also had a small knick on his cheek.

I picked up and wand and waved it at his face, "_Episkey._" I whispered, healing the knick instantly. He glanced over to me, feeling his now healed cheek.

"Thank you." He muttered. I gave him a warm smile, and then went back to looking out the window, feeling his cold stare bearing into my skin.


End file.
